Chris Hemsworth may not be in the running for an Oscar for his portrayal of Formula One champion James Hunt in the film “Rush.” But his performance put the late British driver, his 1970s career and his cars back on the popular-culture map.

Now one of those cars, the Hesketh 308, is scheduled to cross the auction block during RM Auctions’ Monaco sale on May 9 and 10.

Among die-hard Formula One fans the Hesketh is a watershed car. Commissioned by team owner Lord Alexander Hesketh and designed by renowned engineer Harvey Postlethwaite, it helped the tiny, struggling crew compete with the sport’s elite teams. And while Hunt won the 1976 World Championship in a McLaren car, it was the Hesketh that initially carried him into the spotlight.

The Hesketh team and this successful car played significant roles in last year’s Ron Howard film about Hunt and his rival Niki Lauda.

With the stiff aluminum monocoque chassis and Ford Cosworth DFV eight-cylinder engine that were state-of-the-art at the time, the Hesketh 308 had the elements of a competitive racer. Still, few people expected Hesketh to do well against wealthier teams like Ferrari, Lotus, and McLaren.

Hesketh had four 308 chassis cars built and the one for sale was the first, called 308-1.It debuted at the 1974 Brands Hatch Race of Champions, where Hunt qualified on the pole. He notched a number of impressive performances in the car that year – enough to get the attention of top teams including McLaren, where he was later hired and won the 1976 World Championship.

The auction house estimates the Hesketh will fetch between $540,000 and $877,000.

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